About the Organization
At the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina (ACLU-SC), we envision a just South Carolina where We the People means all of us. To bring this vision to life, we advocate, litigate, educate, and mobilize to defend and advance the civil rights and civil liberties of all South Carolinians. Whether we’re defending free speech, enhancing voting rights, reforming the criminal legal system, advocating for immigrant rights, or protecting transgender kids—our employees engage in meaningful work.
The ACLU-SC is an affiliate of the ACLU, a federated organization. When people refer to the ACLU, that generally includes the national office as well as a nationwide network of autonomous and independent ACLU affiliates, of which the ACLU of South Carolina is one.
The ACLU-SC is headquartered in Columbia and has a distributed team with staff working from home offices in communities across South Carolina. This role can be based anywhere in South Carolina. All team members travel to Columbia at least monthly, and occasional in-state travel is necessary.
The ACLU-SC is a highly rewarding place to work for those interested in protecting our fundamental civil rights and civil liberties. To learn more about the work of the ACLU-SC and the ACLU, please visit www.aclusc.org and www.aclu.org.
About the Position
The Creative Strategist will help the ACLU of South Carolina win in the court of public opinion by creating distinctive, informative, engaging multimedia work across multiple platforms and physical products. An ideal candidate for this role will have a strong sense of style and an ability to communicate clearly through graphic design, video production, online communication campaigns, social media storytelling, and audio podcast production.
This is a new position. It is full-time and salaried. The person in this role will report to the Communications Director and will also collaborate with members of our Advocacy, Legal, Development, and Executive teams. As a full-time staff member, this person will be required to live in South Carolina. There will be opportunities to collaborate with and learn from colleagues at the national ACLU and at other states’ ACLU affiliates.
The two main modes of public communication at the ACLU-SC are informative and persuasive. In the informative mode, we inform South Carolinians of their constitutional rights, provide updates about current events and policy debates, and build public familiarity with the major civil-liberties issues of our time. In the persuasive mode, we send messages that appeal to the consciences of everyday South Carolinians, mobilize volunteers to defend civil liberties, and seek to persuade decisionmakers to pursue just public policies.
The strategist will be provided with a style guide for branding purposes. Within that framework, creative, expressive, culturally relevant work is encouraged. We are looking for work that is accessible, compelling, rooted in a sense of place, and worthy of audiences’ attention amid the din of social media. Despite the heavy subject matter of our communications, there are still opportunities to create beautiful and even joyful work.
Responsibilities
Graphic Design
- Tell the story of our work through compelling, accessible, brand-consistent graphic design.
- Create informational graphics for social media.
- Develop labeling and branding for pages on the ACLU-SC website (aclusc.org).
- Complete original designs for physical items such as T-shirts and tote bags as well as for printed paper materials such as Know Your Rights cards, pamphlets, palm cards, posters, and short publications.
Video Editing
- Edit short, captioned videos formatted for social media. These will primarily be recorded by staff members on mobile phones.
- Conceive of and script videos, including recording videos as needed or capturing video from public sources such as livestream archives of legislative hearings
Audio Production
- Help manage, produce, and edit monthly episodes of our podcast, While I Breathe, including arranging and recording interviews, balancing audio levels, and inserting transition music to ensure professional sound quality.
- Ensure the accuracy of transcripts.
- Format episodes for publication and post to our website via our content management system.
Writing and Social Media
- Establish our strategy and approach to social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, and Twitter), including posting both on a proactive basis and in response to developing news.
- Develop short posts and captions for social media.
- Create and execute emails to supporters and volunteers.
- Write and post content to ACLU-SC website (aclusc.org).
Cultural Responsibility
- Bring a complex understanding of racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity into our approach to the work.
- Commit to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture.
- Engage in relationship building with staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders.
Qualifications and Skills
The Creative Communications Strategist should demonstrate the following qualifications and skills:
- At least three years of experience in communications.
- A commitment to and enthusiasm for civil rights and civil liberties.
- Experience and proficiency with programs and platforms for visual design (such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Canva), video editing (such as Adobe Premiere, Capcut, and Canva), and audio editing (such as Audacity, Bandcamp, and Audition).
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and to valuing differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, national origin, and socio-economic circumstance.
- A drive for racial justice and an understanding of the ways white privilege can harm communities.
- Ability to travel within South Carolina as needed, including a monthly all-staff meeting in Columbia. Occasional travel to regional and national conferences will also be encouraged.
Compensation
The ACLU of South Carolina offers a competitive compensation package. Consistent with the ACLU-SC's compensation philosophy, there is a set starting salary for this role. The annual salary for this position is $64,000. In addition to salary, full-time staff receive health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance as well as access to a 401K plan with employer matching. Time off benefits include 22 days of vacation time, 12 days of sick time, and sabbaticals. Employees also receive a subsidy for personal mobile devices used at work.
Application
To apply, please send a resume and a portfolio of relevant work to [email protected]. The resume and cover letter should be in one PDF titled with your name, and the email subject line should read: “Creative Communications Strategist: Your Name.”
Resumes or applications sent via other avenues will not be considered. The deadline to apply is September 12, 2025. Early applications are encouraged.
The ACLU of South Carolina is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, disability, and veteran status.
